The Benoit murders 6 months later

Where'd you hear about the additional 15+ guys? Unless you're counting all of the women in the company since the male wrestlers heard about Signature from the women, but the investigators were unaware that women use steroids (or something) and thus didn't check the customer list for their real names.

Where did the women thing come from? Not that I don't buy it, but I've never heard of it.

I'm pretty sure that Smith has been on the last two weeks of Heat or so.
I don't think they planted the Fragile X story, but they clearly pushed it and ran with it. In the days after a murder lots of false leads will end up reported...this is the one that the WWE grabbed hold of.
Erasing Benoit from history leaves a bad taste. As its part of "this never happned and we move on" strategy. Whitewashing the past doesn't make it go away. A normal company would have done a "How to talk to your kids about this tragedy" segment, WWE opened ECW with a"we will never talk about this again" segment. It's about washing their own hands of blood.

Did Nancy Benoit attempt to make phone calls for help just before being strangled by her husband, pro wrestler Chris Benoit, last June?

In the minutes before investigators believe former pro wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife Nancy, records show that several phone calls were made from the Benoit’s home phone, according to a final report by Fayette County Sheriff’s investigators into the murder-suicide of the Benoit family.

The report, compiled by Det. Ethon Harper, states that a call was placed to 411 directory assistance from the family’s home phone at 9:25 p.m. on the night Chris Benoit apparently killed his wife, Nancy, June 22, 2007.

“An internet search shows the number given was listed to the Fayetteville Police Department and shows as the non-emergency line,” the report states.

“The number shows that listed address as 105 Johnson Avenue, which is the old address of the Fayetteville Police Department.”

However, according to the report, “none of the phones listed to the Benoit family called the number after receiving it. It appears the number was obtained but apparently never used.”

“I can only assume it was Nancy Benoit who called 411, but I’m confused as to why the call was made to 411 and not 911,” said Scott Ballard, Fayette County District Attorney.

“You can’t help but wonder if the child, Daniel, made the call to 411 instead of 911. But I certainly hope not. I hope he did not see anything.”

The report also states that at 9:32 p.m., a phone call was placed from the Benoit residence to a cell phone belonging to Holly Schrepfer -- a neighbor of the Benoit’s. The call lasted for five seconds.

At 9:33, phone call records show a another phone call being placed Schrepfer.

“These are consistent with statements given by the neighbor,” the report states.

“She said she received a phone call from (she believed) Nancy Benoit on Friday night but did not answer,” the report says.

“It is believed the injuries (to Nancy) and Nancy’s approximate time of death occurred after the phone calls were placed to Directory Assistance and Holly Schrepfer at approximately 9:30 p.m. on June 22, 2007.” the report states.

The home phone does not show another incoming or outgoing call until Saturday, June 23, at 3:01 p.m., according to the report.

The report states that it was from Schrepfer, who said she was returning a call after Chris Benoit left a message that morning.

Officials says the report confirms earlier conclusions the former pro wrestler killed his wife Nancy, Friday night and their son Daniel, “within several hours after Nancy Benoit.”

They say Benoit hung himself in the family basement sometime Sunday.

The report eludes to another phone conversation on June 18 --only days prior to her death -- that Nancy Benoit had with a friend in Tennessee, Pam Clark.

The report states that Nancy Benoit told Clark how she “was concerned that Chris may be having an affair with one of the Divas in the WWE.”

The report says Nancy Benoit also told Clark “she did not feel like she knew Chris anymore... and that he had been acting strange lately and his mood swings had gotten to the point that he would pick fights with her over nothing.”

The report goes on to say that “Clark stated Nancy seemed ready to stand up for herself, but had a very bad feeling something was going to happen to her, and that she kept a record of everything Chris had done to her...”

The report also states that “Clark stated Nancy made her promise that if anything happened to her she would make sure that Chris was investigated.
Clark said in the report she thought Nancy Benoit may have been planning to leave Chris and go live with her family in Florida.

According to the report, Schrepfer also told investigators “she knew the relationship between the Benoits had been rocky and that the couple had frequent fights.”

She also apparently told police that “Nancy Benoit told her she was afraid to go home after Chris slammed her against the wall. Schrepfer advised they became friends after that.”

Schrepfer also “described how Nancy Benoit began abusing alcohol and prescription medication to help cope with her relationship with Chris and the demands of his career.”

The report states that a number of types of prescription drugs were found in master bedroom, bathroom and closet.

“Along with the testosterone prescribed to Chris Benoit, investigators located a bottle labeled Carisoprodol (Soma) 350 mg, which was filled May 12, 2007 and contained 40 of the original 100 pills.”

The prescribing doctor was Phil Astin, of Carrollton, according to the report.

The reports states that three prescription bottles for Nancy Benoit of the narcotic hydrocodone (Lorcet) were also found.

One was filled June 19 at CVS in Peachtree City, and 82 of the original 120 remained, the respot states.

A second bottle of hydrocodone prescribed to Nancy was filled June 9 with 120 pills at Publix in Peachtree City. The bottle was empty, according to the report.

And a third bottle prescribed for Nancy Benoit was filled May 30 at the PTC CVS for 120 pills. The report says this bottle was also empty.

Each bottle had apparently been prescribed by the family’s physician, Dr. Phil Astin of Carrollton, the report says.

Prescription bottles of hydrocodone (Lorcet) for Chris Benoit were also found, according to the report.

One bottle was for 120 pills, and was filled June 22, the reports says, and 85 remained. A second bottle was prescribed to Chris Benoit for 120 pills on June 8 and none remained, and a third bottle, prescribed Dec. 1, 2006, and of the 150, 81 remained, the report says.

Again, the report says each bottle had apparently been prescribed by Dr. Astin.

When interviewed by investigators, the report says Dr. Astin stated that he saw Chris Benoit in his Carrollton office Friday, June 22 -- the day investigators say he killed his wife.

“Dr. Astin advised that Chris Benoit did not appear outwardly depressed or anxious... and had no outstanding complaints other than his usual pain and muscular spasms.”

Fayette County Deputies went to the Benoit house Monday, June 25, after receiving a call that Chris Benoit missed a wrestling match over the weekend.

According to the report, the bodies of Daniel, Nancy and Chris Benoit were discovered after Schrepfer had taken the Benoit family dogs inside to place them in their kennel so investigators could enter the house.

“A short time later she exited the residence screaming that the family was dead.”

The report states that “Benoit continued to tell friends how would be at his event, but may be a little late..

“On Saturday June 23, Chris Benoit changed his Delta flight to a later arrival for a wrestling event,” the report says.

“It was apparent that Chris Benoit planned to leave the home after his wife and child were deceased and continue on with his planned wrestling event when he changed his airline flight,” the report says.

“At some point, Chris Benoit made the decision to stay in his home and to take his own life. Chris Benoit put his dogs outside and made his way to his home gym.”

The report says Chris Benoit then “sent text messages to two of his best friends to let them know the dogs were outside and what the street address was of his home.”

By JOHN HOLLIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/09/08

Hustler magazine has won the first round of a lawsuit filed by the estate of Nancy Benoit, which failed to prevent publication of nude photographs of the slain wife of former professional wrestler Chris Benoit.

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Thrash on Friday denied Maureen Toffoloni's request for a temporary restraining order against publication of her daughter's pictures taken by photographer Mark Samansky 25 years ago.

Thrash based his decision on First Amendment rights that provide for freedom of expression. He cited the substantial volume of publicity and media attention surrounding the Benoit tragedy in saying Hustler magazine deserved that protection.

His ruling was essentially moot; Hustler's March issue has already been published and disseminated to the public.

Toffoloni, who lives in Daytona Beach, Fla., could not be reached. Rick Decker, her Atlanta attorney, declined to comment through a spokeswoman Friday afternoon.

The legal tussle involving the photos is the latest development since Chris Benoit killed his wife and 7-year-old son before taking his own life at the family's Fayetteville home in June.

The request for the restraining order was the first effort in a lawsuit filed by Toffoloni, administrator of Nancy Benoit's estate, against the magazine and Samansky.

The suit, which calls for unspecified damages including legal fees and litigation costs, was filed in Fayette County Superior Court earlier this week but was moved to U.S. District Court because the case involved a constitutional issue.

The suit contends that Nancy Benoit, who was married to James Daus from 1981 to 1986, never gave permission for the photos to be used for a "pornographic" magazine whose content includes "graphic and sexual photographs of nude women."

Daus testified in an affidavit that he was present when his wife, then an aspiring model, posed for still photographs and a videotape in the summer of 1983.

"Neither Nancy nor I ever gave Mr. Samansky permission to use the photographs or any videotape in any way," he said, adding that he and Nancy had been assured all the images had been destroyed.

So there's a lawsuit and it will keep going but the request for a TRO was rejected because the issue had already been published.

The reports states that three prescription bottles for Nancy Benoit of the narcotic hydrocodone (Lorcet) were also found.

One was filled June 19 at CVS in Peachtree City, and 82 of the original 120 remained, the respot states.

A second bottle of hydrocodone prescribed to Nancy was filled June 9 with 120 pills at Publix in Peachtree City. The bottle was empty, according to the report.

And a third bottle prescribed for Nancy Benoit was filled May 30 at the PTC CVS for 120 pills. The report says this bottle was also empty.

Each bottle had apparently been prescribed by the family’s physician, Dr. Phil Astin of Carrollton, the report says.

Prescription bottles of hydrocodone (Lorcet) for Chris Benoit were also found, according to the report.

One bottle was for 120 pills, and was filled June 22, the reports says, and 85 remained. A second bottle was prescribed to Chris Benoit for 120 pills on June 8 and none remained, and a third bottle, prescribed Dec. 1, 2006, and of the 150, 81 remained, the report says.

Again, the report says each bottle had apparently been prescribed by Dr. Astin.

Nancy died on June 22, 2007.

Scrips for hydrocodone (marketed under Lorcet brand and also Vicodin) and what was taken:

May 30: 120 / 120 taken
June 9: 120 / 120 taken
June 19: 120 / 38 taken

278 hydrocodone/lorcet taken from roughly May 30 to June 22. Roughly 11-12 a day. I'm guessing a 2 every 4 hours type of scrip to justify refilling that every 10 days. Post surgery 2 every 4 hours of something like this isn't out of the ordinary... but an unending supply is some serious shit.

For Chris:

June 8: 120 / 120 taken
June 22: 120 / 35 taken

With Chris, lord knows what else he may have obtained on the road and dumped on the road. He clearly chumped a boatload in his final day+ of life. 35 on the day he killed Nancy on through the period he killed Daniel and then himself.

I believe that the coroner said that the levels of Hydrocodone in both their bodies were at therapeutic levels (of course, he also said that he couldn't determine whether or not the testosterone was at abusive levels...). The actual dosage really matters more than the number of pills.

I'm willing to bet that it was at the higher end of the per pill scale than the lower end.
That the bodies were so far gone that definative tox wasn't possible to determin "in therapeutic levels" can be seen 35 of Benoit's tabs being gone in a *day*, possibly a day and a half. I can't think of any in therapeutic need where Benoit would need to pop 35 Lorcet tabs in a day.
There was the note that Benoit doped up Daniel to put him out before killing him. I can't imagine Chris using enough Lorcets on Daniel that it would reduce the number of those 35 to what Chris himself took to be at a therapeutic need level.
We know both of them were abusing painkillers and other drugs at above therapeutic levels. Both had built up their tolerances to painkillers to a great deal.
John

Then so much for there being therapeutic levels of Lorcet in the bodies. Can you think of any therapeutic prescription that would recommend a dosage of 35 tabs per day or day-and-a-half?
Perhaps a cancer victim down the stretch, but they likely would give something else in a stronger mg dosage needing less tabs per taking.
John

That dose is what I was getting at.
It will be interesting to see what Dr. Astin was write scrips for to Chris and Nancy going back several years, and not just what was found. They weren't taking a lightweight amount of drugs. We of course knew/know that. It's what Astin is going to get fucked in the ass over. He pretty much was running a drug pushing operation.
John

It's been mentioned by Dave Meltzer, but it's extremely bizarre that Astin's only been charged with overprescribing painkillers to Rey Mysterio & Mark Jindrak (in numbers that honestly weren't that big, especially compared to the Benoits, though obviously Mysterio raises red flags since he lives in San Diego) when we've heard so much about the overprescribed testosterone for Benoit and now the overprescribed Lorcet for both Chris & Nancy.

What's worse, rumors that Benoit was cheating with a WWE Diva which led to a domestic dispute ending in carnage, or that again WWE attorneys are jumping all over this to prove the company can't be blamed for the deaths:

Benoit's wife may have been planning to leave him
New details from investigation could affect wrongful deaths suits

By JOHN HOLLIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/15/08

Recently released details may have shed new light as to why professional wrestler Chris Benoit murdered his family, and that information could prove critical in any potential wrongful death suit against World Wrestling Entertainment.

According to documents released this week by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, Nancy Benoit suspected her husband was having an affair with a WWE "diva," a scantily clad female who appears ringside.
• More Fayette news

A friend of hers told investigators that Nancy Benoit was contemplating leaving him when Chris Benoit killed her and Daniel, the couple's 7-year-old son, before taking his own life at the family's Fayetteville home in late June.

"She told me to promise her that if anything ever happened to her, make sure that Chris was investigated," Pamela Hildebrand Clark testified in an affidavit. "She said she had a bad feeling that something was going to happen, and she just couldn't shake it."

The revelations provide the first insight of any kind as to what may have triggered the tragedy that has grabbed both national and international headlines.

They could also make it much more difficult for the estates of both Chris and Nancy Benoit to paint the WWE, Chris Benoit's employer, as negligent or somehow responsible.

"I think this absolutely, positively proves this was a domestic dispute," WWE attorney John Taylor said. "There is a clear motive for murder here. This is not the product of concussions or steroids."

The report also stated that Chris Benoit and his wife had also been arguing over a life insurance policy he had that covered Daniel and two other children from a previous marriage.

Nancy Benoit had also complained of her husband being unable to perform in the bedroom, her sister, Sandra Toffoloni, told investigators. Chris Benoit was found to have abnormally high levels of testosterone in his body at the time of his death.

The Chris and Nancy Benoit estates are considering wrongful death suits against the WWE that could be filed as early as this spring, attorneys for the two sides have said.

Michael Benoit, the deceased wrestler's father and the administrator of his estate, has charged the professional wrestling organization was at fault for not properly taking care of the numerous concussions his son suffered while performing over the years.

Rick Decker, the Atlanta attorney who represents the Toffolonis, Nancy Benoit's family, said he wasn't surprised by the results of the investigation and took the news in stride.

"I don't think anything in the report changes what we're doing for the Toffoloni family or anything we're doing in the case," he said.

Can't you just picture that WWE lawyer doing a Hornswoggle-like dance of glee as he said that? Now all they have to do is throw a random diva under the bus and they can go back to the way things used to be without having to deal with learning any life lessons.

Some reporter likely called and they gave the company line. Do you expect them to give a different answer naming the concussions in the face of a million dollar lawsuit?
Companies in WWE's position are legally compelled to avoid making incriminating statements, less it comes back to bite them. You can't take anything they say seriously.

It's funny because it takes about 1.5 seconds to realize that "domestic dispute," "various forms of drug abuse took a toll on his mental well-being," and "brain damage took a toll on his mental well-being" are not mutually exclusive.

Especially since millions of dudes have been faced with the idea of their wife leaving them with the kids, and not too many thought the best solution was murder-suicide.

Some reporter likely called and they gave the company line. Do you expect them to give a different answer naming the concussions in the face of a million dollar lawsuit?

They should have just done what every company does in the face of possible legal action, decline a comment while offering condolences to the family. WWE, on the other hand decides to hang on any possible rumor that they can use to prove "IT WASN'T THEIR FAULT". Fragile X, anyone?

At this point, it's pretty clear that years of concussions left Benoit in a mental state prone to sudden violence. There's just too many examples of former football and hockey players who've suffered repeated concussions having problems later in life, some even had instances of becoming violent towards their families in eerily similar circumstances to Benoit (without the same final result, obviously). That's not to say WWE is 100% to blame for what happened, but it's also clear there are cases of them having a "don't ask-don't tell" policy when it comes to brain injury. If this would go to trial, one would think that WWE would be in trouble if anyone on the other side has a copy of "Beyond the Mat".

There's the young girl who got caught up in the wrestling business as a teenager, ended up leaving the business to become a full time mother, whose professional legacy and even worse, whose brutal murder has been eclipsed by the remembrances of what a "good guy" and a "great wrestler" and a "wonderful family man" and a "respected co-worker" her killer was.

And there's a seven-year-old boy, whose room was filled with posters and action figures of his revered father, who has been wrongfully labelled across the world as being a dwarf, or retarded, or a sufferer of Fragile-X, whose wrongly-reported disabilities have been speculated as the cause of the marital strife that many say drove the little boy's beloved father, the murderer, over the edge.